Sport

Fighters are among the contest’s medals

A sensational performance from Samurai’s Hetty Tinsdale saw her take gold at the Scottish Open Judo Championships.

Leah Grosvenor also took gold with another assured display and there were silvers for Nathan Gallacher and Darcie Hancocks and bronze for James Hemer.

Tinsdale, who competes in the in the under 63 kilogram category, defeated opponents from Edinburgh, Northern Ireland and Leicester.

In the under-44kg section, Grosvenor scattered the best of Scotland’s girls on her way to the final almost without breaking sweat. In the final she faced a Swedish player who gave her more difficulties, but it was always one-way traffic and Leah eventually won by a high score with several low scores also on her scoreboard and never having looked likely to concede a score.

Gallacher faced a very tough category in the under-38 kg section but defeated opponents from Portugal, Wirral and Yorkshire and lost in the final to an Irish rival.

Having injured her ankle at a squad session a few weeks ago, Hancocks was still in a cast two weeks before the competition and the decision that she would compete was only taken two days before the event.

In a very tough section, she dominated the contest and won on a penalty to reach the final against one of her Scottish rivals.

A mistake cost her a score and although her opponent then received three penalties, just one short of disqualification the Samurai starlet could not equalise.

Hemer managed to bounce back from a semi-final defeat to secure a bronze.